Phoenix police officer Antonio Felix received a troubling review from his supervisor on July 23.
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“You were recently faced with several personal challenges that affected your attendance for a period of time. However, you were able to make the proper changes and notifications to get yourself up to date with the Department,” Sergeant Daniel Peddicord wrote. “One of these challenges included communication with your chain of command during your absence. This included not updating your personal address in E-Chris and maintaining a working phone to be contacted at.”
In a month the officer would be fired, and then arrested on felony charges. Felix is one of two disgraced former Phoenix police officers who gained national attention for allegedly beating and tasing a couple during a troubling, undocumented traffic stop.
The supervisor’s comment comes from a performance management review in Felix’s employment file. It is one of many disciplinary and employment records released by the city of Phoenix this week about the officers, Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr., who were both assigned to the South Mountain Precinct.
Felix worked for the Phoenix Police Department for eight years and Vasquez worked there for nine. The city also announced a sweeping audit of the officers’ histories with the department and a broader investigation into their squad and precinct with the document release.
The violent August confrontation at Broadway Road and 19th Avenue remains shrouded in mystery but the released records provide some insight into the months and weeks leading up to Felix and Vasquez allegedly beating and tasing a male driver while his female passenger sat handcuffed.
According to police reports, Vasquez and Felix pulled over a Dodge Charger around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 5. They allegedly forced the male driver and female passenger from the car by breaking the car window and unlocking the doors. They cuffed the woman and made her sit on the sidewalk. Vasquez allegedly punched the male driver, tased him, and threatened to shoot him. The driver fled in his car leaving behind the woman, who Vasquez and Felix ultimately released.
The couple reported the incident to the Tempe Police Department which originally thought they’d been assaulted by police impersonators, not on-duty officers.
Vasquez and Felix were arrested on Aug. 22 and charged with multiple crimes including kidnapping, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, and conspiracy to commit hindering prosecution for the undocumented and allegedly violent traffic stop.
The review was Felix’s second since coming back from an extended leave that is not explained in his records. The first was in March 2026. Before that, he hadn’t been reviewed since 2023. According to his file, he’d also transferred into a new squad within the precinct.
It is unclear what Felix took time off for. Phoenix New Times reached out to the police department but did not hear back in time for this story. However, there are no supervisor notes in his file between April 2023 and January 2026.
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Vasquez did not have any specific flags in his comments in the months leading up to the incident. But, his files shed more light on the fatal shooting that he was involved with.
Vasquez was one of two officers who shot and killed Dominic Garcia on Feb. 19 last year after Garcia, 31, fired one shot at the officers while he hid in a blue recycling bin.
“I saw the muzzle flash and then I quickly, as the round was shot, quickly stepped to the side,” Vasquez told investigators from the department’s professional standards bureau, according to the internal investigation included in the document release. “He was firing at us, trying to kill us.”
Vasquez fired 11 rounds into the recycling can. The other officer involved in the shooting, K-9 officer Jared Brown, fired 12.
The shooting was investigated internally and found to be within policy. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell declined to prosecute Vasquez and Brown.
Vasquez wrote about the shooting in his response to his July 2025 review.
“Being involved in a critical incident/OlS opened my eyes to the shooting protocol and the stress having to navigate this situation,” he wrote. “It was an experience I will never forget and one that will help me be able to help others throughout my time on this department.”
The department did not respond in time for this story about whether Vasquez received counseling for the incident. In the end of July, Vasquez’s supervisors wrote glowing reviews, lauding him for his work that year.
“Your professionalism and courteous demeanor when dealing with public and fellow officers is top notch,” Peddicord, who also reviewed Felix, wrote.
Four days before he pulled over the couple, Vasquez responded to what would be his final review with the department. He accepted their praise and set training goals for the new year.
“My goal is to attend additional trainings and professional development opportunities that will strengthen my skills on the street, enhance my decision making, and help me better serve the community,” he wrote. “I am committed to ongoing growth and to meeting the expectations of my role with professionalism and dedication.”
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